Email to Kindle addresses?

[Robmonster]

Hi there,

I've seen people talk about emailing books to username@free.kindle.com instead of username@kindle.com

What is the actual difference?

I've always emailed my personal documents to username@kindle.cm and have never been charged anything. My Kindles are wifi only, so perhaps the charge only occurs over 3g?

Rob

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Robmonster

perhaps the charge only occurs over 3g?

This.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

This.

Yes. Plus -- if I recall correctly -- you get an email notification when sending to the "free" address.

[KimberlyFDR]

Originally Posted by bwaldron

Yes. Plus -- if I recall correctly -- you get an email notification when sending to the "free" address.

Oh yeah? Two years I've had my Kindle 4 and I've never tried the free address to test that out

I send about 10 documents a day to my Kindle and I've always used the @kindle.com address. Tested it out on the first document way back when, just to make sure no charges were occurring, and have been emailing consistently ever since. That functionality is one of the main reasons I was drawn to Kindle above other e-readers.

[susan_cassidy]

If your Kindle is wi-fi only, there is no difference. If your Kindle is 3G, there is a difference.

[SampleAndy]

And this is better than sideloading why? I'm guessing you can have a backup of your non-Amazon books at Amazon, but what else?

[KimberlyFDR]

Originally Posted by SampleAndy

And this is better than sideloading why? I'm guessing you can have a backup of your non-Amazon books at Amazon, but what else?

I don't keep a copy of my documents on Amazon, usually, so when I download I tend to go to Amazon and erase the copy. [It's because most of the documents / fics I send aren't going to be kept after being read.]

So, why email to Kindle as preferable over side-loading? For me it's ease of use. I don't have to remember to hook up my Kindle, no wires needed. Just grab a mobi file of whatever I want, wherever I am, and off it goes so that I get it the next time I connect to wi-fi.

I go through a lot of fanfiction every day, which are often presented with mobi or PDF files, so I can send the group of "read later" fics throughout my day and have a nice grouping waiting for me. It's very convenient.

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by SampleAndy

And this is better than sideloading why? I'm guessing you can have a backup of your non-Amazon books at Amazon, but what else?

It will be saved eternally at the NSA, and Amazon can mine your reading habits even better.

scnr

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

If your Kindle is wi-fi only, there is no difference. If your Kindle is 3G, there is a difference.

And even with 3G, there's only a difference if you set your Whispernet maximum charge limit above $0.00.

Originally Posted by SampleAndy

And this is better than sideloading why?

Suppose I read a lot of longform.org essays, which I do. One option is to use the built in browser, but that's often slow, and it can be hard to control the font size. Another is to copy and swipe the contents of individual essays into a .txt document on my PC, and then sideload. That gets the essay onto my Kindle quickly, but it takes some of my time. The best option is to click "Send to Kindle," which causes the essay to go through a readability.com server and be sent as an email to my kindle.com address. Next time the Kindle is in WiFi range, it will get the article automatically.

Then there are the news options at Calibre. Calibre makes side loading easy, but not side loading is just a bit easier yet.

I also make heavy use of Amazon's Send to Kindle for Google Chrome, which is different from the longform/readability Send to Kindle, and also works through the Kindle email.

Lastly, if a close friend or family member (their address has to be pre-entered, by me, at amazon.com) wants to send me a long email or other text, the Kindle address is a good option.

The killer feature, for me, of the Kindle Keyboard, is the New York Times Latest News Blog for $1.99 a month. (US only, I'm afraid, at least at that price.) Next comes free world-wide text based cell phone network web coverage. It's the ultimate magical feature for a newshound like myself. Book reading I'll rank third, but the email address feature is just behind.